has technology and innovation affected your coaching?
par Ken Ingram
When I look back on how the world has changed in just seven years, I realize technology and innovation have reshaped our lives and will continue to do so; sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way. Technology has provided us with multiple new ways to communicate via the Blackberry, iPhone, Skype and the web. These have become the standards in many parts of our global community. As a result, we are now more connected with the world than ever before.
Seven years ago, I had no clients in Mexico and I now find myself coaching 30 business owners through Skype. Seven years ago, I had no clients in the US and now I find myself coaching managers through an anonymous and confidential website. The search engines have evolved so dramatically. Technology and innovation have changed our lives but the interesting thing is that as much as we are connected, many of us are still alone.
While it is true that we can communicate through social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, email, blogs or use a cell phone to talk with anyone in the world, we still stand alone. Many business owners and executives are lonely at the top, because they still have few people, if anyone, in whom to confide. None of this innovation has replaced good management, leadership, teamwork, strategic planning and basic common sense. The issues in the workplace continue to be as challenging as ever.
Despite all the current technology and future innovations, we still need to use our most valuable asset; our knowledge, attitude, skills and habits in the most effective manner.
Basic human principles will continue to rule as a significant success factor in any interaction. This is great for us as coaches because technology has not replaced what coaching is all about. Coaching is about helping another person to continually grow so that performance constantly improves. It's a gradual and holistic process centered on the development of a person's attitudinal, motivational and psychological attributes.
Coaching teaches people discipline, in order to meet challenges and maximize their potential. It's a complex process that happens in private. Coaching involves a long-term commitment and is designed to instil the will to win, the habits to succeed and the skills to perform. That being said, e-learning has tried but not succeeded in replacing this important interaction. As a coaches, we encourage leaders to take responsibility to take care of the environment in which people show up to work 40 hours or more each week because it is through the human development process that we change the direction of people’s lives by inspiring confidence in themselves.
In summary, it is important to ensure that you use technology to increase communication between yourself and your coachees, but this alone will not enable you to be the best coach you can possibly be.
Do you have the audacity to be the master of your success in 2009?
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